On the back of a brilliant 12 months in 2022, and as a definite sign…
During organisational change, colleagues’ emotions can become primitive.
Fight, flight or freeze decreases our ability to plan, make rational decisions or focus on the future – all skills we need our people to embody during times of change.
According to Harvard Business Review, 70% of change efforts fail. Why? The number one reason is communications: infrequent, inadequate or ill-thought through.
So what can we do about it? There are various avenues you can take in dealing with change. We love Kubler Ross’ change curve for its accessibility. The thorough approach of John Kotter’s 8 Steps is brilliant. But for now let’s focus on David Rock’s SCARF model. It’s one of our favourite ways of guiding campaign activity during change.
The model
STATUS – how we perceive ourselves compared to others
CERTAINTY – our ability to predict the future
AUTONOMY – our sense of control
RELATEDNESS – our sense of safety with others
FAIRNESS – our perception of fair exchanges between people
Some helpful pointers for using it in practice
STATUS:
- Recognise and celebrate colleague achievements
- Stress the continued value of colleagues
- Look back before you look ahead
CERTAINTY
- Talk about your known knowns
- Be open about your known unknowns
- Provide certainty of comms, even if you can’t provide certainty of content
AUTONOMY
- Involve colleagues as much as possible
- Give people choices
- Set a goal and allow colleagues to choose how to accomplish it
RELATEDNESS
- Encourage people to talk face-to-face
- Use Workplace by Facebook for two-way comms
- Break down barriers between sites/roles to avoid ‘friend or foe’
FAIRNESS
- Ensure decision-making is transparent and rationales are clear
- Seek out and show consideration to colleague feedback
- Spread information quickly, clearly and widely
Approaching change in these ways can help people to feel informed and involved, even when things aren’t completely certain. When it comes to change, communicating well and taking people along on the journey with you can sometimes be the best way.
We’re working with brands like Sovereign Housing Association, RBS and Vodafone on their transformation stories – ensuring their communications are pitched just right to inspire the needed behavioural change from their people at each point of the journey. If you’re looking to implement a change programme and need help with how to communicate it internally, give us a shout and we’ll be happy to help.
